Every mind is akin to a rubber band—some leave it untouched, while others stretch it to its limits. In this journey of self-discovery and innovation, let's embark on an 8-step approach to expand our creative horizons and unleash the full potential of our minds.

I am a creative person, and my guru is none other than Albert Einstein. I fell in love with his philosophy when I came across a book titled How to Think Like Einstein: Simple Ways to Break the Rules and Discover Your Hidden Genius by Scott Thorpe a few years ago.

Before discovering this book, I often spoke to my friends about being different and breaking the rules, but none of them ever agreed with me. Consequently, I was convinced that I should follow what others liked.

However, my inclination towards breaking the rules eventually led me to Thorpe's book, which excited me so much that I paused reading other books and got glued to it. The more I read about Einstein, the more I loved his philosophy because it aligned so closely with my own values.

Einstein believed that "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."

We are what we think most of the time. Our lives are controlled by our minds, but not everyone understands that. We share what we feed our minds. That is likely one reason why so much negativity is spread across the globe. We use all our senses to indulge in negative incidents and then respond in the same manner.

Let’s break out of the mindset of doing everything "business as usual" by considering the following:

1. Don’t Follow the Common School of Thought All Your Life:

"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone is thinking." – Haruki Murakami

About a decade ago, I had a habit of buying books but didn’t have the patience to sit and read them. Remember the days when you had the energy of a sportsperson and couldn’t sit in one place for too long? You wanted to play, work out, party hard, and stuff like that.

I was inclined towards listening to audiobooks, but there weren't many titles available. Thanks to a friend who introduced me to Torrents, I soon amassed a large collection of audiobooks, turning my car into a mobile library.

Listening to various books tuned my mind differently and left me in awe. My interest in audiobooks brought another turning point. A friend, who is also an avid reader, gifted me a couple of books unavailable in audio format. This gesture helped me get back into reading, starting a new journey.

Still, I always applied Einstein's philosophy and never let my imagination be overruled by someone else’s thoughts. Before deeply immersing myself in reading and learning from others, I was already applying my own mind and doing things differently.

Reading has always complemented my creativity rather than dominating my mind with others’ thoughts. I feel blessed to blend my creative mind with those of authors, resulting in a unique imagination.

2. Break the Rules and Switch Your Morning Habit

One group of people picks up the newspaper first thing in the morning, filling their minds with negativity about what’s happening in the world. Who attacked whom, which country attacked another, who was stabbed, or where a woman was raped.

Another group loves to read books on motivation, self-help, and business. However, whatever you read in the morning, you are actually reading someone else’s mind. You may feel satisfied learning something new, but your mind is already filled with imagination ready to be explored.

When I stopped reading the newspaper two years ago and gifted my TV to my domestic worker five years back, I learned a lot more through books. The newspaper and TV added zero value to my life.

Thanks to technology, I stay informed about what’s important for me to know, maintaining my focus. If I wish to watch soccer or cricket, I prefer going to a bar with friends. The same applies to watching movies and important news online.

3. Fill It Only After You Empty It

Here is the key point. If my previous points resonate with you, you’ll agree that you shouldn’t feed your mind with others’ thoughts first thing in the morning.

We’ve learned that we should first empty something to fill it with something new. So why don’t we follow this every morning?

Every morning, we have a lot of thoughts that our subconscious mind has gathered for us to work on as solutions. You’ll be amazed if you start considering those thoughts first.

You must read to get ideas. However, first, empty your mind on paper.

Spend 30 to 45 minutes every morning with your subconscious mind and see what it has to deliver. Whether you write or type, as long as you are working on emptying your mind first.

Once done, you can switch to reading and feed your mind with others’ thoughts.

"Keep reading books, but remember that a book is only a book, and you should learn to think for yourself." – Maxim Gorky

What Should You Write About First Thing in the Morning?

I suggest avoiding any business activity first thing in the morning.

Write about yourself, gather your thoughts, think of ideas, write your own stories, devise your game plan, think of ways to enhance your life, find new business ideas, or identify market gaps. There’s so much to do every morning.

Engage in any form of imagination or creative exercise. The idea is to brainstorm in the morning and refrain from core business activities.

I wish I had invested time in writing first thing in the morning instead of reading books all these years. However, as they say, "it is never too late to start."

I’m glad I found this new way of stretching my mind and focusing on the thoughts my subconscious mind delivers each morning.

Just like emptying a cup is vital to fill it, so is emptying the mind. You can get creative only if you break the rules and don’t follow someone else’s thoughts all the time.

Final Thoughts

Wishing you an awesome morning filled with creativity, new thinking, and the fulfillment of your dreams. Keep thinking, keep writing, and more importantly, keep breaking the rules confidently.

Now that I have emptied my mind, I’m going to fill it up with some reading.

Parting Note

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Please share your comments below and if you enjoyed it, share it for the benefit of others.

Should you wish to contact me for anything relevant to this topic, you may do so by sending an email to dd@deepakdhiman.biz